The 12 Steps for Catholics

In 2023, I came to believe that Catholicism is the “truth that sets us free.” Catholicism is a religion, a belief system, an ideology, and a way of life. It celebrates Jesus Christ who died for our sins and was resurrected. No amount of words could adequately describe the glory of the gospel and faith of Catholics around the world, so I won’t even try.

Before 2023, I examined many other ideologies about God. This included other religions, the spiritual nature of psychology, and the twelve spiritual steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

It all began on November 7, 1982 when I had a spiritual awakening. I came to believe, in a moment of bliss, that God was real and that he loved me and thought me worth saving. This all happened at an A.A. meeting.

In honor of my forty-first anniversary of this event, I want to translate the language of the twelve A.A. steps into my new Catholic faith. Please note that A.A. uses the word “we” in the twelve steps because they believe that peer support (fellowship) is almost as important as spiritual healing. In other words, we not only need God, we need to attend church and serve God.

Twelve Steps

Step 1: We admitted that we had fallen under the spell of Satan and become a slave to alcoholism. As a result our lives had become unmanageable.

Step 2: We came to believe that God, in the form of the Holy Trinity, could heal and restore us—to free us from the demon of alcoholism.

Step 3: We turned our will and our lives over to the care of God. We surrender it all to the benevolent one.

Step 4: We made a list of all our previous sins.

Step 5: We confessed to a priest, and God simultaneously, the nature and specifics of our previous sins.

Step 6: We let the Holy Spirit prepare us for healing by sending the gift of understanding, knowledge, faith, fortitude, and the willingness to be changed.

Step 7: We asked God with all our mind, body, and soul to heal us from our character defects.

Step 8: We made a list of all the people in our lives that we had harmed previous to this time.

Step 9: We made amends to those with whom we still have contact, or to someone else in the name of those who are not available.

Step 10: We made a daily inventory of our ongoing shortcomings and apologized whenever possible. We vow to do better in the future. We go to confession and ask for forgiveness as often as possible.

Step 11: Through prayer and meditation (both structured and unstructured), we improve our conscious contact with God. We work toward a more intimate relationship between ourselves and the Godhead.

Step 12: We go out into the world and preach about the healing power of the Lord. We let these twelve spiritual disciplines, the Bible, and the Catholic faith guide us every day. We go to church. We help others.

“Go in his name and because you believe others will know that he lives.”